ECOVACS DEEBOT Slim2 Review
Robotic devices continue to invade the domestic sphere of our lives on a daily basis. However, that’s to be expected considering how far technology has come. People are always looking for possible ways to reduce their daily chores and activities. Vacuuming the floor is certainly one of them and for a good reason. Not only is it a bland and monotonous activity but it also takes away a lot of time.
The solution to the aforementioned problem comes in the form of a robotic vacuum cleaner. Ever since these robotic cleaners appeared on the market, the demand for them kept going up. Therefore, numerous brands popped up on the radar and each product is specific in its own way.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at Ecovacs Deebot Slim2. If you want to know whether this bot is worth the purchase or not, stick with us and you’ll find out! Without further ado, let’s get into the review.
The Design of the Bot
The overall look of the bot is oddly simplistic yet it has some sort of distinctiveness to it. Ecovacs implemented two colors in its design – grey, and white. Even though it looks minimalistic, we have to say that it was done in a stylish manner.
Ecovacs used a mixture of a rectangular and circular shape to create the body of the unit. Furthermore, the body has a low-profile design to it, which allows it to slip under various furniture (hence the name ‘Slim2’). Some people complained that the design lacks originality and creativity, and we understand why people might think that. However, we still think that its design has the potential to complement your home.
There are several anti-collision and bump-detection sensors (mostly) on the front side of the unit. An additional cliff sensor is located under the unit, which prevents it from tumbling down the stairs, etc. For example, if the cliff sensor detects a drop that’s higher than 1cm, it automatically puts the brakes on.
Functionality and Features
Ecovacs Deebot Slim2 looks like a compact unit and it most definitely is one. We’ll take a look at each of its features in greater detail in the following section.
The unit has three available cleaning modes – spot, auto, and edge cleaning. Each of these modes is effective in its own way. However, we’ve found out that the best results are often shown by combining them. That, of course, depends on the situation, space, and the materials you want to clean.
The Auto cleaning mode allows the robot to follow a straight line and clean until it registers an obstacle. When it comes in contact with the obstacle, it randomly changes the direction of its movement. This process is repeated until the timer shuts the unit off.
The Edge cleaning mode, as its name suggests, allows you to get the dirt out of the edges and corners of the room. The unit simply goes along the edges of the room and cleans until it shuts down.
The final mode, Spot cleaning, directs the cleaner to a specific part of the area and tells it to concentrate on it.
One of the interesting things about the unit is that you can operate it by using a mobile app. The app gives you full access to all the features which you can use accordingly.
Navigational Technology
We expected to see some bugs or flaws because the whole unit is dependent on using the navigational technology. To our own surprise, it performed exceptionally well. This technology allows the unit to ‘know’ where to go and how to avoid obstacles. How does it do that? By utilizing the data from its sensors. That allows it to fit in tight spaces, locate hidden areas, and even reach under the furniture.
Docking and Battery Life
It usually takes up to 4 hours until the unit is fully charged. When it’s fully charged, the unit can run for a solid hour (at least ours did), which is excellent. Due to its programming, the cleaner always returns to the docking station once it completes an assignment. You need to make sure that the docking station is always powered on.
Speaking of the docking station, we have to say that it’s quite compact and it doesn’t take a lot of space. Positioning it somewhere along the edge of the wall is probably the best way to set it up. Otherwise, the robot cleaner won’t be able to find its way to it.
Performance
We already mentioned several times throughout the text how satisfied we were with the performance. So, what exactly was so satisfying about this unit? Let’s take a look at it through these two features – Cleaning and Avoiding Obstacles.
Cleaning
The main purpose of Deebot Slim2 is to clean the house on its own, and that’s exactly what it does. We wanted to see how well the unit fares against different types of surfaces. Therefore, we tested it on smooth floors and carpets.
The unit was able to flick objects such as crumbles, strands of hair, and debris up to the suction opening on smooth floors. However, the same cannot be said for carpets due to the harshness of their surface. The main reason why the unit can’t deal with carpets so well is that it lacks the rotational brush bar.
We used white powder to draw circular shapes on the floor. The unit was able to completely clean one on the smooth surface. As for the one on the carpet, we could still see some traces of white powder.
Obstacle Maneuvering
In most cases, Deebot Slim2 is fully capable of avoiding the obstacles on its own. However, you need to help it out a bit by removing the unnecessary stuff from the floor. For example, objects such as cords and cables can be distractors and cause the unit to change its direction drastically.
There was one instance where the machine got stuck. If that ever happens, the robot will notify you by changing the color of the main button into red. However, that rarely happens.
Final Words
Having a robot cleaner that can basically clean the entire room without your assistance is an excellent feature to have! Deebot Slim2 is more than capable of doing that, provided that you secure the necessary conditions for it. All in all, we think that it’s a valuable asset to your home and it’s definitely worth the investment.
Finally, we’d like to state that this is only our opinion and that your experience with the unit might be different than ours. Nevertheless, we hope that you found this article helpful, at least to some extent.